Newsletter issue #66 - 1st September 2009
This issue
Welcome to the September 2009 edition of the Webcredible newsletter!
In this issue:
- Feature article: Service design across multiple channels - breaking down silos or joining up?
- Top tip: Ensure video & audio is accessible
- Useful program: Simple CSS
- Top link: Future Comparisons Report
- New articles in August
- Webcredible blog posts in August
Enjoy!
Feature article: Service design across multiple channels - breaking down silos or joining up?
Service design, or multi-channel proposition development, may sound like a grand and complex idea but it's actually quite a simple (and hopefully familiar) one. In this article we introduce the concept of service design and explain why it's important for us to think about how a product is conceived and designed across multiple touchpoints.
Top tip: Ensure video & audio is accessible
Accessibility isn't just limited to the text on your website - it applies to all types of content including multimedia. With video and audio becoming more and more common across the web it's essential that you do as much as possible to open up this content to all website users. Making video and audio accessible isn't as complicated as you may think. Simply follow these key guidelines for the different user groups and you'll be well on your way:
- Blind web users The key requirement for blind web users is that all visual changes within videos are conveyed through non-visual means. Ideally this would be though an additional voice-over within the video (which can be switched on or off) describing the visual changes. Creating this for all your videos can be very costly and time-consuming, so an alternative is to provide a written transcript for the video, with a comprehensive description of the video. Also, ensure that video and audio don't automatically play on web pages as the sound can interfere with screen reader speech.
- Mobility-impaired web users For most mobility impaired users, effective keyboard access to content is the key factor here. All of audio/video controls need to work with the keyboard as well as the mouse and the tabbing order through these controls should be logical (which usually means left-to-right). Finally, there should be a focus state for each control when tabbed on to - often this is a yellow border around the control so it's probably best to follow this convention. Do also bear in mind that blind users utilising screen readers are also keyboard-only users so these guidelines also apply to them.
- Deaf web users For deaf web users the most important thing is that equivalents are provided for all content that relies on sound. This means offering written transcripts for audio files and subtitles within videos (which can be switched on or off). Ideally, and for optimal accessibility, you'll also provide sign language for any videos as this is the first language for many hearing impaired people (especially those deaf since birth).
Useful program: Simple CSS
Looking for a CSS editor that's suitable for beginners? Simple CSS is a free CSS Editor which runs on Mac, Windows and Linux. It allows you to create from scratch or modify existing CSS projects with a simple, easy-to-use interface. Simply download the program and start editing CSS.
Top link: Future Comparisons Report
Webcredible's latest white paper examines the changing markets that price comparison sites face. It looks at past trends and how the comparison site market currently stands, as well as making recommendations on developments that can be made. The report is free to download!
New articles in August
Read these and many other articles
Webcredible blog posts in August
- Snow Leopard - user experience lies in the details
- Price comparison report now available
- User experience books for beginners
- Mobile TV uptake
- Google aims to give local councils an online boost
- An eventful second half of 2009
- There isn't an app for that: Going underground for a better app experience
- BC: Before Cyberworld
- Smartphone apps - is the battle over before it's begun?
- Apple blocks Google Voice app for the iPhone. What next?
- What's happening at Webcredible
Usability lab & focus group facilities hire
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Find out more about hiring our facilities
Training courses
Come on one of our training courses and become a web guru! Our 18 courses are run across 5 training streams:
- Usability & accessibility courses
- Website optimisation courses
- Online copywriting courses
- Web development courses
- Online marketing courses
Training courses are held every 2 weeks in London and are fantastic - small class sizes, highly interactive and taught by experts.
